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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
HOUSE RESUMES WORK AFTER SHORT BREAK
After a short break for Easter and Passover, the Minnesota House of Representatives gets back to work this week. The break gave every legislator the opportunity to spend more time in their district, as well as prepare for the significant and meaningful work that remains to be accomplished before the 2007 Legislative session ends in May.
Up to this point, most of the work has been done in the various committees. We have voted on several bills on the House floor, however, including many smaller proposals with regional or district impact. Three of the most significant were the Federal Conformity Bill, the Renewable Energy Standard and the Capital Investment Bill.
The Federal Conformity Bill adopts tax changes passed at the federal level since the adjournment of the 2006 Minnesota legislative session. This legislation will provide over $25 million in tax relief for college students and families, teachers and combat veterans, and has been signed into law by the Governor.
The Renewable Energy Standard of 25 percent by 2025 will help make our state more energy independent, reduce global warming emissions, create jobs and attract millions of investment dollars to Minnesota. Greater Minnesota can greatly benefit from the development of alternative fuels such as ethanol, currently produced from corn, and the new field of cellulosic fuels, created from agricultural products such as grasses. This bill was also signed into law by the Governor.
The Capital Investment Bill authorizes bonds for work projects across the state, including transportation and transit, public safety, corrections and education. Because this is not a typical bonding bill year, the legislation we passed is smaller than the bill that authorized funding for Phase I and II of the Faribault State Prison, as well as other local projects. Next year we will pass a larger bonding bill, at which time I hope to again get several important projects for our area included.
In addition to these three pieces of legislation, the omnibus bills have been finalized by the various finance divisions. These proposals will now move to the Finance Committee for consideration and changes, then to the Ways and Means Committee for final approval before coming before the entire body of the House for a vote. These large bills include specific funding and policy provisions for broad areas such as K-12 Education, Higher Education, Transportation, Health Care and Property Tax Relief. I have included a brief summary of the main components of some of the omnibus bills.
· The K-12 Education Bill includes proposals to offer voluntary All-Day kindergarten to every school district in the state, provides a 3 percent annual increase for schools over the next biennium and includes funding to reduce the cross-subsidy in Special Education funding.
· The Health and Human Services Bill will provide health insurance for every child in Minnesota by 2011, and undertake major reform designed to bring down the high cost of health care coverage for Minnesotans who have insurance.
· The Property Tax Relief Bill offers the average property owner a 3.4% decrease on their property taxes, as compared to the 8.9% increase that is currently projected. The reform package includes a series of initiatives, such as increased Local Government Aid, school property tax levy equalization and county and township aid.
· The House Transportation Bill will support much-needed investment for Minnesota's transportation system. The bill eliminates caps on the new motor vehicle registration taxes, divides the motor vehicle sales tax revenue to provide 60 percent to highways and 40 percent to transit, and for the first time since 1988, increases the gas tax by five cents this year and another five cents next year, with the additional revenue dedicated to transportation projects. A Minnesota resident driving an average of 11,000 miles per year will pay about $5 a month more with this gas tax increase.
· The House Early Childhood Bill uses a combination of new and one-time money to restore funding that has been drastically reduced in recent years. It restores ECFE, School Readiness and Head Start to 2003 funding levels, and proposes innovative measures to help narrow the achievement gap and increase quality in childcare and preschool.
These bills, along with others, represent the significant work that will be addressed over the coming weeks. I am hopeful we can succeed in passing good legislation that will benefit all Minnesotans, including our children, seniors, property owners and businesses. Please contact me if you have any questions about these proposals, or any other issue. I can be reached at (651) 296-8237, 551 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn.
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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